FORMULA 1

[MIKA27]

ALONSO: THESE GUYS ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO RACE WITH

Fernando Alonso’s farewell United States Grand Prix was a miserable and brief one, his race ending after his McLaren was tagged during a first lap melee, causing enough damage to force him to park the car.

The veteran Spaniard, who will quit Formula 1 at the end of this season, was the innocent victim when he was crashed into by a wayward Lance Stroll, the Williams driver penalised for his shenanigans, but for Alonso it was an instant DNF.

In the wake of the incident, Alonso complained over the radio, “I don’t know how much damage I have, these guys are impossible to race with, impossible. They cannot do the starts like this you know, you cannot go into the corners crashing with other cars.”

He continued later while the race was still in progress when he told journalists, “I’m not upset – I’m disappointed because I’m here nine days in the US to do a race and I do 600 meters of the race and they push you off.”

“That’s the way it is, but it’s more a problem for the FIA if they keep allowing this type of driving. I drive in another series with amateur drivers, theoretically, and there has never been a problem. There are more amateurs here than in other series.”

He added: “Maybe when there’s a big crash they will do something. Until then we’ll try to have fun in other categories where we race against 34 cars, against amateur people, against 60-year-old men and nothing ever happens.”

“Here we need bumpers, like rental go-karts, so we can all crash into each other. I race in the WEC and they are very aggressive as well and we have three different categories there – some amateur drivers in the GT-Am, but no one crashes into each other. There’s another mentality.

“Sometimes you make a mistake or you try to take a risk at the start, or you can overshoot your braking point or make a mistake. But it’s like Spa, where you start and suddenly they are playing bowling with you.

“Here again, you start and they play bowling with you and you have the bad luck of having to retire,” lamented Alonso who was also taken out in a first lap incident at the Belgian Grand Prix earlier this year.

[MIKA27]

WOLFF: OCON IS GOING TO BE IN GOOD CAR IN 2020

While it appears increasingly likely that Esteban Ocon will skip the 2019 Formula 1 season, he has nothing to worry about because his boss has guaranteed him that he will be in a good car in 2020.

Highly rated Ocon, one of the standout young guns on the grid this year, has a slim chance of getting a drive with Williams, failing that he will be spectating next season.

Williams have already committed long-term to George Russell, a driver they have selected on merit as opposed to their recent pay driver tradition.

The second seat remains open for 2019 while team chief Claire Williams has indicated that they may be forced to opt for a pay driver although confirming that Ocon is high up on their shortlist which apparently includes Robert Kubica, Nicolas Latifi and Nikita Mazepin.

Speaking to reporters at the United States Grand Prix, Mercedes chief Wolff told reporters, “You know, they say only fools are optimists, and in July I was really optimistic on having Esteban in a Renault.”

“So I don’t know, it’s not our call. Williams needs to make up their mind who they think is the best driver for their team, and it’s not only Esteban, there’s Robert [Kubica] in the frame, and then others, and all of them deserve the chance. So Williams will make their choice.”

“We are prepared for plan-B with Esteban. One thing I can guarantee to you is that he is going to be in a good car in 2020 because there are many teams out there that have an interest in Esteban. We will try to facilitate where we can.”

Williams are currently going through the worst patch in their history, but this won’t stop Ocon embracing the opportunity if it arose, “I’m definitely very keen, I don’t think it’s a team that’s going down.”

“Obviously the results they are doing this year are not great, but Williams has been world champion in the past, they’ve been fighting hard with us last year. I think it’s a very competent team, and every team has its ups and downs. I’m sure they will come back higher in the future,” added Ocon.

[MIKA27]

Romain Grosjean two points from ban after Charles Leclerc clash

Romain Grosjean has moved on to 10 penalty points, just two away from a ban, after his clash with Charles Leclerc on the opening lap of the United States Grand Prix.

Grosjean was running behind Sergio Perez and Leclerc as they scrapped on the first lap at Austin, but the Haas driver locked up into Turn 12 and hit his Sauber rival.

Leclerc was tipped into a spin and ultimately retired from the race while running towards the back, as Grosjean halted his Haas VF-18 shortly after the incident.

Stewards summoned both drivers and deemed Grosjean to be culpable.

They noted Grosjean “lifted and braked early” because of their respective positions “but nevertheless made contact.”

The stewards awarded “just one [penalty] point in recognition of the circumstances”, but also slapped Grosjean with a three-place grid demotion for next weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix.

Drivers are permitted to rack up 12 penalty points across a rolling 12-month period; Grosjean will drop one of his points following the upcoming event in Mexico City.

[MIKA27]

Vettel: I had speed to win in Austin

Sebastian Vettel reckons he had the speed to win the United States Grand Prix, had he not lost ground on the opening lap after a collision with Daniel Ricciardo.
The Ferrari driver had gone in to the Austin race on the backfoot, after a three-place penalty for failure to slow enough for a red flag in Friday’s opening practice session left him fifth on the grid.

Hopes of a good result evaporated early on when he tangled with Ricciardo, dropping him to 15th, but the nature of his recovery drive to fourth – and the fact teammate Kimi Raikkonen went on to win – showed him what had been possible.

Asked if he felt the win was lost in the Ricciardo clash, Vettel said: “I didn’t try to lose the race in that corner. 

"I think if we had stayed fourth or fifth after the first lap, then we would have been a lot closer. And then I don’t know if everybody is doing the same things, but surely we had the speed to win.”

Vettel's thoughts about having a car that could have come out on top were backed by Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, who was convinced that his team was simply not good enough in Austin.

“Imagine Sebastian not spinning out in lap one I think he would have probably won the race easy,” he explained.

“It’s stressful. With the drivers’ championship, we are in a strong position but I always said we mustn’t drop the ball. We’ve seen that in the past with other teams, and with the constructors’ championship that is very important for the team.

“Nothing is done yet. There are 129 points to be scored with the 66 points we have, of course that is also a good buffer. But there is no reason to giggle away and think you have the trophy in your hand because we can see that we haven’t got it in the hands.”

Vettel said that he felt the Ricciardo clash was a simple racing accident, and neither man was to blame for what had happened.

“Obviously he tried to come back and we both just about managed to get the corner,” he said. “I think initially he had a bad exit out of 12 but I came back.

“I had the inside but then I think he didn’t see me, so we went side-by-side and I think then it was quite clear.

"He obviously tried to go around the outside and we touched pretty much wheels on. So after the touch I lost the car and spun.”

[MIKA27]

I’ve proved people wrong, says Raikkonen after stunning Austin win

Two thousand and forty four days. That’s how long it has been since Kimi Raikkonen last won a Grand Prix. Many questioned whether he could ever reach the top step of the podium again, but the Finn reckons his stunning drive to victory in Austin has answered those critics…

Raikkonen has come close to victory several times since re-joining Ferrari in 2014, but it was looking increasingly likely he would end his second stint with the team in red without another triumph.

But in the United States, the stars aligned and the Finn won his 21st career victory, and first since the 2013 Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne’s Albert Park, with a stunning drive.

The key was the start, the Finn using his softer tyres to leap ahead of championship leader Lewis Hamilton. When the Mercedes driver pressured him, having pitted for fresher tyres, Raikkonen defended bravely, and then used his experience to manage the tyres and absorb more pressure in the closing stages.

Despite the impressive feat, Raikkonen – who took a big swig of champagne before spraying it on the podium - typically downplayed the result. “It’s not a big deal for me, it’s a much bigger deal for a lot of the people,” he said. “If it comes, it comes; if it doesn’t, it really doesn’t change my life one bit.

“I’m happy we are here and that we win but I think the biggest difference is the way people look at you. If you look at people in a different way if they win or not, it doesn’t make a lot of difference in my mind. But obviously I’m happy, just proving some people wrong is enough fun for me.”

Raikkonen breaks Michael Schumacher’s record for the longest gap between a first and last career win – Sunday is 15 years and 212 days since his first triumph in the 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix for McLaren.

He also now holds the record for the biggest gap between races – 112 races and one DNS – as well as taking the accolade as the oldest race winner, at 39, since Nigel Mansell triumphed for Williams at the 1994 Australian Grand Prix.

But the Finn, who is heading to Sauber for the next two seasons, isn’t worried about age. “I might be getting older but it was not too bad, we’ll get a few years more and I enjoyed it,” he added. “We’re here to try to win it and I always try to do it, but it’s not easy, otherwise everybody could do it.

“I think this weekend we’ve been pretty solid in many ways and I had a good feeling with the car. We’ll see what happens in the next race but so far, I’m not complaining a lot. For sure we’ll have fun tonight and then we go next week for the next one.”

Inevitably, Raikkonen was asked if victory, on what was his 50th podium, proved Ferrari were wrong to replace him from next year but the Finn doesn’t see it like that. He insisted he wants to join Sauber, whose factory is close to his home and will subsequently allow him more time with his family.

“I think people don’t understand I’m actually very happy with where I’m going,” he said. “I had my time with Ferrari, I won my championship with them, I won many races with them and for me, as a driver, I want different challenges, I want different things.

“I’m actually really happy to go there, it’s roughly 40 minutes from my home, for sure my family will be happy and I’m happy to be with my family. I think it’s probably the best thing and I wasn’t at any point disappointed with the decision.

“The only thing that I was interested in was to know what was going to happen. I’ve been long enough in Formula 1 to know that it doesn’t matter if you have a contract or not, things happen for different reasons. The end result is that I’m very excited about.”

[MIKA27]

Horner hails 'vintage' Verstappen after epic Austin charge

Max Verstappen just doesn’t know when to give up. It was only two races ago that he produced an ‘outstanding’ performance in Russia, climbing from 19th on the grid to finish fifth. And after grid penalties pushed him back to 18th in Austin, he was forced to demonstrate his recovery prowess again to secure a sensational second place - a performance his boss Christian Horner has labelled as ‘vintage’.

After his suspension issues on Saturday, in which he ended qualifying in 15th place, his United States Grand Prix prospects took another hit with the news of a late gearbox-change grid penalty, dropping him further back, and only ahead of the two Toro Rosso cars.

But an exceptional start from the Dutchman, in which he kept his nose clean and avoided the chaos ahead of him, moved him up to ninth by the end of the opening lap. By the midway stage of the race, he found himself occupying a top-three position when a correct strategy call from Red Bull allowed him to undercut Valtteri Bottas.

That Lap 22 pit stop, however, meant Verstappen had to nurse his supersoft rubber for a lengthy period, and pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton, who was forced to make a second stop, was hot on his heels in the latter stages of the race. The Dutchman stood firm, however, producing a remarkable defensive performance to cling on to P2, and Horner was understandably delighted with that he saw from his man.

“It’s brilliant,” said Horner. “I mean what a drive, from 18th, I think he came out the first lap in ninth, and he’s beaten the pole position man. To be racing for the lead at the end of the race, defending from Lewis on a much better tyre. What a drive.

“There was a lot of focus going on behind about Lewis and don’t get too close to Kimi, and you could see the gap was getting closer, and closer and closer. Max was saying ‘yeah I’m doing it carefully’. I think perhaps without Lewis behind him the last couple of laps, he may well have had a go (for the victory).

“This is vintage Max. He will just not give up. It’s great racing, fair racing between two hard racers. This is what people turn their TVs on and come to the races to see.

“Today, he has driven an unbelievable race. The thing that is most impressive, all our tyre models were telling us there’s no way this tyre will make it to the end. He kept making it work, like In Austria and Barcelona. He got that supersoft to the end of the race.”

Verstappen certainly enjoyed his tussle with Hamilton too, with the Briton piling the pressure on with just three laps to go. The Red Bull driver kept the four-time world champion behind, though, and it was the type of tussle he thrives on.

“It’s a lot of fun because you have to come from the back,” said Verstappen. “You’re doing an opposite strategy to them, so it’s finding out how you actually finish the race. That’s the most fun about it.

“I think it’s always good to race against world champions. I think he was very fair. Of course he’s also thinking about the championship. It was cool.

“It (the result) was a bit unexpected. I had a good start, and a good first lap. And then very quickly we were back into P5, P4. We could then follow the leaders and we had really good pace. I think we made the right call to undercut Valtteri and from there onwards we could do our own race.

“In the end we could have put some pressure - but unfortunately in the last three or four laps we run out of tyres on the supersoft compared to the guys on soft around me. I’m still very happy. I destroyed my shoes – I think pushing a bit too hard. But all good!”

[MIKA27]

Post Race Interviews & Analysis Part 1 - 2018 US GP

Post Race Interviews & Analysis Part 2 - 2018 US GP

 

[MIKA27]

DOCUMENTARY: THE LIFE OF LOTUS FOUNDER COLIN CHAPMAN IN 1968

This film was originally an episode of a popular British TV show called “Millionaire”. Each episode followed a millionaire of the time offering a window into their life, and perhaps a glimpse into what made them a millionaire in the first place.

For anyone interested in cars, Formula 1, or motorsport in general the 35 minute documentary offers an unparalleled look into the life and times of one of the most important and influential men in the history of motorsport – Colin Chapman.

Over the course of his career Chapman was instrumental in introducing monocoque chassis into Formula 1 (and motorsport in general) with the 1962 Lotus 25. He also created the Chapman strut, he was an early adopter of composite materials and ground effect aerodynamics, and he was among the first to fit wings to Formula 1 cars.

This documentary was filmed in 1968, a difficult time for the Lotus Formula 1 Team despite the fact that they won the first race of the season with a 1-2 finish and would go on to win both the driver’s and constructor’s championships that year.

The difficulty amidst all this success was the death of Jim Clark, a Lotus team driver and close personal friend of Colin Chapman. He was killed in a Formula 2 race at Hockenheim in 1968 when a deflating rear tire sent him out of control into the trees that lined the track – there were no barriers to speak of and he was killed instantly. Jim’s death took a severe toll on Chapman, and he would speak of it often in the years that followed.

This film includes brief appearances by major icons of the era like Graham Hill and Bruce McLaren, as well as footage of Chapman piloting his beloved plane, and footage of his family at home – there’s even a brief appearance by Clive Chapman as a young boy, who would later go on to run Classic Team Lotus.

[TheGipper]

Was Kimi actually smiling a bit in the post race interview?  Great to see him back on the top step!

And as an American, I do appreciate the Red Bull guys giving us a nod with their "western wear"...but that suit design needs to be retired permanently.

[Homer]

We are the best, we are the best. ?

The fastest nation in the world.

[skalls]

Absolutely love COTA.  It's in the top 3 circuits on the f1 calendar for me.

But man that was such a weird race. Happy to see Kimi win one before his relegation to sauber

[raidercraig]

Lap one of US Grand Prix

Vettle losing control 

[BarryVT]

With so many replies to topic, formula 1 must be a really big thing worldwide. Not so much in US. I have never been invited to a formula 1 party, nor do I ever see televised on any major network. Football, baseball, basketball and the occasional golf. Maybe I'm wrong, any Americans watch? Please chime in.

[MIKA27]

MARKO: NEXT YEAR WITH HONDA WE WILL FIGHT FOR THE TITLE

Red Bull consigliere Helmut Marko was elated with the performance of their driver Max Verstappen, the Dutchman delivering the Drive of the Day at the United States Grand Prix prompting him to declare that their target is the title in 2019 with Honda.

Verstappen drove a mature race, entertaining as always, from 18th on the grid he stormed to finish second after harassing eventual race winner Kimi Raikkonen while spiritedly fending off Lewis Hamilton. One of the 21-year-olds more memorable drives.

After singing the praises of their ace to reporters in Austin after the race, Marko declared, “Next year with the Honda engine I think we can fight for the world championship, the project is really very good and I’m absolutely serious.”

Regarding Verstappen’s storming drive, the Doctor said, “With him you should never be surprised. We had a plan before the race on how many cars had to get by in the first few laps and it went far better than we had planned.”

“With the softer tyres, it was unbelievable what he did: to be able to go so hard while keeping the tyres alive, was really incredible,” added Marko.

In the other Red Bull, Renault bound Daniel Ricciardo endured a frustrating and short race as he was forced to stop with another engine failure, his seventh DNF of the season.

Marko has ‘sympathy’ for the Australian’s plight, but not resisting an obvious swipe at Renault, “Poor him, he will have to live with these problems for another two years.”

[MIKA27]

CAN VETTEL MAKE THE GREATEST COMEBACK IN F1 HISTORY?

Sebastian Vettel would have to make the greatest comeback in Formula 1 history to win his fifth championship title this year and even the Ferrari driver is not buying that one.

The German must now win all three remaining races in Mexico, Brazil and Abu Dhabi to have any chance of beating Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton, and that will still not be enough on its own.

Hamilton, winner of nine races this year to the German’s five, has a 70 point advantage after Sunday’s U.S. Grand Prix and needs to score only five more to become a five-times champion.

He will not even need those if Vettel falls short of perfection. British bookmaker William Hill was offering Hamilton at 1-500 with Vettel 50-1 — the German on the same odds as Hollywood actors Leonardo DiCaprio or George Clooney becoming the next U.S. president.

Realistically, it is all over and the coronation is likely to come in Mexico City next weekend. The last time Hamilton went three races in a row without scoring at least five points was in 2012, when he was at McLaren and failed to finish in Valencia, was eighth in Britain and retired in Germany.

It has never happened in his time at Mercedes, and Hamilton has not had three races in a row off the podium in a single season since 2013. Vettel has not won three races in a row since he was at Red Bull in 2013.

Ferrari last won in Mexico in 1990 — admittedly not as dramatic as it sounds because that race was not held from 1993 to 2014 — and have never triumphed in Abu Dhabi in that grand prix’s nine-year existence.

Asked about his championship chances after starting fifth in Austin and dropping to 15th following a first lap spin before he eventually finished fourth, Vettel smiled.

“Getting slimmer,” the German, whose teammate Kimi Raikkonen won the race with Hamilton third, replied.

The grim humour continued when it was pointed out to him that he had to win the last three races: “Yeah, probably the last four or five,” he said.

“So far we didn’t do so well. Obviously the last couple of months haven’t been very good for us in many regards. I had another recovery drive (on Sunday) but I’m getting a bit tired of recovery drives.”

On the plus side, Austin showed that Ferrari had at least regained some of their speed to end Hamilton’s bid for a fifth win in a row. That, however, was largely due to discarding some recent changes and reverting to what worked before.

“You can see it as good news but you can also see it as bad news. If we have to go back to a car that has been competitive three or four months ago, then surely it can’t be good news. If you think about it,” said Vettel.

[MIKA27]

VERSTAPPEN: I DESTROYED MY SHOE BECAUSE I PUSHED SO HARD

Max Verstappen delivered the drive of the day at this edition of the United States Grand Prix, the dark blue Red Bull scything through the field, from 18th on the grid to second place after a thrilling race during which the Dutchman once again, inadvertently, play a role in this year’s Formula 1 world championship saga.

Two weeks earlier, at Suzuka, Verstappen clashed with championship contender Sebastian Vettel, the well-documented incident cost the Ferrari driver dear.

Fast forward to Austin and again the 21-year-old was in the thick of things, this time providing a feisty defence late in the race of second place from a hard-charging Lewis Hamilton – the other title contender – and as a result the championship fight lives for at least another week.

After celebrating on the podium in his cowboy styled race suit (nice touch!), Verstappen said, “I am very happy. We controlled the race well and I was very happy to take those super-softs to the end of the race. For sure in the traffic and with Kimi in front of me and Lewis behind me on fresher tyres.”

“I even destroyed my shoe, because I pushed that hard. My shoe is completely worn out, just a few more laps and I would have bruised my toes.”

“It was a bit unsuspected. We had a good start and a good first lap and then very quickly we were back again in P4. We could follow the leaders and also had a really good pace. We made the right call to undercut Valtteri and from there onwards we could drive our own race.”

“At the end, we could put a bit pressure on, but unfortunately we ran out of super-soft tyres compared to the softs from the drivers around me.”

Of his duel with Hamilton, Verstappen said, “At that time I was really struggling with the rear tyres. I locked up in Turn 12.”

“It was a good fight at the hairpin and on the right-hand corner I was pushing as much as I could but hanging on. Clearly, Lewis was also already on the edge, so I was happy of course to stay in second,” added Verstappen

[MIKA27]

MAGNUSSEN: WE WERE RACING IN FORMULA FUELSAVING

A mere 100 grams of extra fuel used during the 56 lap United States Grand Prix cost Haas driver Kevin Magnussen dear as he crossed the line in ninth only to find out a few hours later he was disqualified.

Speaking to reporters in Austin after the penalty which cost him and his team valuable points, the Dane said, “Unfortunately today we were racing in Formula Fuelsaving rather than Formula 1 and we used 0.1kg (100 grams) too much for the whole race so we got disqualified.”

“It’s a shame that we have fuel saving in Formula 1  and not being able to attack. At the end of the day, what the fans want to see is great racing. We can’t do it because we have to save fuel. It’s disappointing.”

“Those are the rules so we just have to manage better. Car was great though and the pit stop was amazing. On to the next one!”

It is the America team’s second DQ of the year, having been disqualified from the Italian Grand Prix when Romain Grosjean’s floor was adjudged illegal.

Team chief Guenther Steiner commented on the latest episode in Texas, It wasn’t a good event for us. Grosjean’s collision with Leclerc on the opening lap – he ended up getting a penalty for the next race, so we’re penalized for that already.”

“We get a three-place grid penalty for him. Kevin finished ninth, but has been disqualified because we used too much fuel.”

“In the end, that’s our responsibility to control the fuel amount, but I still disagree with Formula 1 having to run on these rules. I hope next year, with having 110 kilograms, this will change, but we change another rule and put a big front wing on, so maybe this will be the same.”

“One day we’ll get to have a good show, but at the moment it isn’t,” added Steiner.

[MIKA27]

Mercedes modified wheel rims to avoid risk of Ferrari protest

The risk of a post-race protest from Ferrari prompted Mercedes to make modifications to its radical wheel rim design ahead of the United States Grand Prix, Motorsport.com can reveal.
As Mercedes continues to seek answers as to why it struggled to manage its tyre temperatures in the Austin race, it has emerged that the team made last-minute tweaks to a rear wheel rim concept that had been under the spotlight ahead of the weekend.

The unique design of the Mercedes rim – which features internal holes to help blow air – has been viewed as one of the contributory factors in helping the German manufacturer's recent run of victories.

However, it had been the subject of a rules clarification from rivals Ferrari in the build up to the United States Grand Prix.

Mercedes F1 AMG W09 Rim Tyre

The Italian outfit had wanted to know why the use of such holes, which in theory help energise airflow, were allowed even though they apply a similar concept to a design of wheel hub that Red Bull was banned from using back in 2012.

But the FIA, after looking closely at the clever Mercedes design, was satisfied that it was fully legal and informed both outfits that it saw no need to intervene.

However, sources have now revealed that Ferrari remained unhappy with the FIA’s standpoint and, during discussions over the Austin weekend, it questioned the governing body's interpretation.

As a follow-up to this, and aware that Ferrari had the option of taking the matter further by lodging an official protest after the race, the FIA advised Mercedes that there remained questions about its design so there could be potential for trouble.

Aware that the risk was there for a protest – even though there was no suggestion Ferrari actually threatened to do so – it is understood that Mercedes decided its safest option would be to modify its wheel rims to ensure that the areas of contention were addressed for now.

Although the FIA’s stance that the wheel rims are legal would have given the team a solid ground for feeling confident should a protest have been lodged, it is well known that the views of the governing body are only ever advisory and the final decision comes down to race stewards.

Mercedes F1 AMG W09 Rim Inside

Mercedes likely felt that, on a day when it hoped to wrap up the world championship, that it would be best to avoid the chance of any post-race trouble that could overshadow its success.

It is unclear what impact the changes to the wheel rims had on Mercedes’ performance in Austin, but Lewis Hamilton hinted after the race that there were some unexpected factors that had impacted its tyre usage.

“We were forced into a two-stop race for certain things we had that weren’t ideal with the car,” he said.

“We didn’t know that was going to be the case when we got into the race. If we hadn’t had the problem we’ve had, tyre usage wouldn’t have been anywhere near as big an issue as we had.”

It is understood that the FIA remains happy with the original Mercedes wheel rim design, so it is likely the German car manufacturer will push for further clarification about the matter ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton needs just five points from this weekend's race to clinch the world championship.

[MIKA27]

Mercedes had multiple problems in Austin - Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton claims he suffered multiple problems in the United States Grand Prix that started when his Mercedes Formula 1 team needed to replace the water pump on Sunday morning.
Mercedes changed the water pumps on both its cars ahead of the race after identifying problems after qualifying, when the component on Bottas's W09 had a leak and data on Hamilton's car also indicated an issue.

Hamilton started from pole but was beaten by Kimi Raikkonen into Turn 1 and struggled chiefly with tyre management on his way to third in the race.

He said: "You saw the car was in a million pieces [at the start of the day] so it wasn't ideal for the race.

"Probably if we hadn't had to have a morning like that, our race outcome would have been a bit different."

Hamilton opted for a two-stop strategy after pitting during an early virtual safety car period but the Briton, who was seeking to secure his fifth title, said Mercedes was outperformed by Ferrari and not simply outsmarted.

"But there was more on top of that, which we've just been talking about – and to how much of an extent that is," said Hamilton.

"In the race there was some debris, some damage on the floor, all these different things add up.

"A couple of tenths in floor damage, [but you] have to assume everyone else had the same thing.

"We had another problem that we just discovered but we don't know how much time that is."

Hamilton would not elaborate on that problem, but described it as an "outlier" that he struggled for pace and used his tyres aggressively.

"We were forced into a two-stop race for certain things we had that weren't ideal with the car," he said.

"We didn't know that was going to be the case when we got into the race.

"If we hadn't had the problem we've had, tyre usage wouldn't have been anywhere near as big an issue as we had."

Hamilton suffered from blistering on both sets of soft tyres, especially as he lost time at the end of his middle stint.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said that the blistering was "unexpected".

"We knew it could be a problem, but we were going strong on the first stint, on the supersoft behind Kimi it was good," he said.

"Putting the soft on, at that time it was still under control, then Lewis started to push and the tyres started to blister.

"This is the moment we started to realise things were going against us here."

Mercedes technical director James Allison suggested the team had suffered from lacking dry running until Saturday morning.

"We normally get the car in a happier place than this, but with Friday being washed out we were blind to the problems we experienced today," he said.

"They were cruelly exposed today and they led to the disappointing outcome."

[MIKA27]

Alonso could trial new onboard for F1 farewell

Fernando Alonso could trial a new driver’s-eye-view style of onboard camera before the end of the season as part of his Formula 1 farewell.
F1 is developing several different onboard camera ideas and wants to introduce a shot that gives viewers a better view of what drivers can see from their crash helmets.

These developments are ongoing but include the possibility of two-time world champion Alonso, who is leaving F1 at the end of the season, trialling a new camera before the end of the season.

Alonso’s crash helmet supplier Bell has an option where the camera would be placed on the side of the helmet, level with the driver’s eyeline.

Discussions have already taken place about using Alonso to experiment with an onboard camera and Bell was keen to do something last weekend in the United States.

However, it is understood that this was deemed too soon.

“We were thinking to test the camera together with Bell and FOM but at the end it didn’t happen this weekend,” said Alonso.

“I don’t know if it’s going to happen in the next weekends. It will be good to experiment.

“Maybe for the last race or something it would be a nice memory to have.”

Ensuring the output of the camera is broadcast-quality is an important factor but F1 views safety as the key parameter and there are steps it must go through if a camera is used that would interfere with the helmet itself.

While Bell’s camera would be mounted outside, F1 is understood to be working on other designs that include one that would be embedded in the internal padding of the helmet to the side of the driver’s head and level with their eyeline.

Anything that involves potentially altering the internals of the helmet needs to be greenlit by the helmet manufacturer but crucially the FIA, which is responsible for homologating designs.

[MIKA27]

Brendon Hartley achieves 'maximum' with last to ninth surge

Toro Rosso’s Brendon Hartley says he achieved the “maximum” possible as he rose from last to secure his best Formula 1 result at the United States Grand Prix.

Hartley was consigned to the back of the grid after taking on a fresh power unit and ran a 27-lap stint on Supersofts before taking on Softs for the remainder of the race.

Hartley kept Marcus Ericsson at bay and finished clear of some two-stopping rivals to classify in 11th place – which became ninth when Esteban Ocon and Kevin Magnussen were excluded.

“I’m really happy with my performance and race which was rewarded with two points,” said Hartley.

“I was aggressive when I needed to be and did a good job with tyres, the team gave me good info from the pits and the mechanics did a good pit stop - a team effort.

“From last on the grid to P9 was the maximum we could do, and I’m happy with the aggression I showed and how the race went.

“Even if the points haven’t come, I have been very strong in all the last races and am very motivated and optimistic for the rest of the season and beyond.”

Toro Rosso team-mate Pierre Gasly also started from the back row of the grid but managed only 12th, having sustained damage on the opening lap when he went off at Turn 5 in avoidance of rivals.

“Starting from P19 we knew it would be a difficult race,” he said.

“We took some debris after the chaotic first lap and that damaged the floor a bit, after that I was just trying to do everything I could from inside the car, but there was a massive loss of grip for the rest of the race.

“We decided for a two-stop strategy but there wasn’t much we could do.”

[MIKA27]

Ferrari took "too long" to realise update errors, says Vettel

Sebastian Vettel says Ferrari took "too long" to wake up to the fact that it had lost its way with recent car developments.
Ferrari's decision to abandon recent updates and roll back to older specification concepts at the United States Grand Prix helped trigger a return to form, with Kimi Raikkonen delivering his first win since returning to the team.

Although Vettel's own hopes of victory were dashed by an opening lap clash with Daniel Ricciardo, he was well aware of the significance of the team's step up in pace after recent struggles.

However, he felt that it was nothing to celebrate especially because it has come too late to really save his championship ambitions.

"It took too long," he said about the car being quick again. "You can see it is good news but you can also see it is bad news.

"If we have to go back to a car that has been competitive three/four months ago, then surely it cannot be good news if you think about it.

"I think for us on the technical side it is important to understand what went wrong."

Vettel said that there was no easy answer to explain why it had taken Ferrari so long to realise that it had gone down a wrong path with its update programme.

"It is a bit hard to explain. I think if you don't see that there is a problem you don't think that there is a problem.

"Certainly we felt that the car was not as strong as it was before, but if you don't see there is anything wrong, then you don't know that there is something wrong.

"I think all the steps that we did, they seemed to make sense but now looking back they didn't. Clearly there was something we missed, and we haven't understood yet why and where the error exactly took off or started.

"So there is a lot of stuff for us to do and understand, but I am pretty sure we will do what is necessary to get on top of it."

Asked if the circumstances of recent races – like the qualifying preparations in Singapore or the bad weather in Japan – had disguised Ferrari's problems, Vettel said: "For sure. Once the shit hit the fan it didn't get better.

"I think there were too many of those incidences. I don't believe in luck or bad luck but surely here or there things didn't go our way entirely, but that is how it is."

While Vettel owns up to the mistakes that cost him valuable points, he is sure that the lack of progress with its car was a bigger factor in opening the door for Mercedes to ram home its advantage.

"It is not like there is a fundamental problem, and in the end it looks a lot worse than it was," he added. "I think I have no problem admitting the mistakes I've done on top.

"I think there were some things that happened to us that didn't help us. But I think the crucial bit has been that for a big part of the season we didn't have the speed to really be there, and then other stuff happens that maybe doesn't help that.

"I think overall we have the potential. I think we need to still grow and learn. So I think there will be a lot of stuff over the winter that we need to review, all of us, including myself."

[MIKA27]

Stroll set for Force India debut in Abu Dhabi test

Lance Stroll is set to get his first run with the Racing Point Force India in the post-season Abu Dhabi Formula 1 test.
The Canadian's 2019 move from Williams to Force India is yet to be officially confirmed, but his father's takeover of the Silverstone-based outfit has helped seal his switch.

While Force India is in no rush to make a formal announcement about Stroll's move until current driver Esteban Ocon's future has been resolved, the team says it is eager to get him in the car for the Yas Marina test that will evaluate 2019 rubber.

Team principal Otmar Szafnauer said: "I think Abu Dhabi it would be good to have the second driver in the car to get some mileage.

"The Abu Dhabi test is all about next year. Although it is with this year's car, it is with next year's tyres, so it is all about understanding next year's tyres."

Asked if there was any scope for the Stroll Abu Dhabi plan to be tripped up, he said: "I don't think so, but I don't think there is any reason to hurry it.

"It is just out of courtesy to Esteban until he knows what he is doing. It would be nice for Esteban to announce his own thing."

Pushed on confirming that Ocon would remain in the car until the end of the season, Szafnauer said: "Yes, for sure. There is no reason not to."

[MIKA27]

9 hours ago, BarryVT said:

With so many replies to topic, formula 1 must be a really big thing worldwide. Not so much in US. I have never been invited to a formula 1 party, nor do I ever see televised on any major network. Football, baseball, basketball and the occasional golf. Maybe I'm wrong, any Americans watch? Please chime in.

Welcome to the thread and forum @BarryVT 

There is enough US audience for Formula 1 to have hosted the US GP since 1908.

Currently, COTA has hosted the US GP in Austin Texas since 2012.

Some more information should you wish to read.  

As for this thread, I have continued this yearly since 2009 when I first started on the forum.It has always been popular, and a great hub for the good news to be posted on. Being a fan of F1, I really hate reading different websites that have a lot of rubbish so my intention to try and filter out the rubbish. I read every article I post.  

[skalls]

It lags behind the other major sports.  Offhand i'm not sure whether or not Indycar has more eyes versus F1 (and to be fair the racing in that series has been light years ahead of F1 in past years).  It was almost exclusively on MSNBC but ESPN got the broadcast rights this past year and is just using the Skysports broadcast instead of doing one of their own.

I don't think F1 will ever get huge, but it's following might get a bit bigger if they add a 2nd GP in the states.  But given that it's only going to have 1-2 races at "home" it's not going to get as big as the other sports.

Plus I hate getting up super early or staying up really late for races.  I'm getting old and grouchy.